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Tracy Chapman this morning – from a concert given in Berlin at Traenenpalast, recorded November 2, 2002 by North German Radio.
If you watched the Grammys last night and were promptly bouncing off the walls in sheer joy by the appearance of Tracy Chapman in her duet with Luke Combs, some of you might be wondering where she’s been the past few years.
Being active, actually. Aside from her gift as a singer-songwriter, Tracy Chapman is also heavily involved in the cause of Human Rights and has been giving a lot of her time over to championing awareness not only in America but around the world.
She’s been busy, and busy for quite a while. She was commissioned by the American Conservatory Theater to compose music for its production of Athol Fugard’s Blood Knot, a play about apartheid in South Africa, staged in early 2008. Atlantic Records released her eighth studio album, Our Bright Future (2008). The album earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Folk Album the following year.
She was appointed a member of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival U.S. Documentary jury. She performed Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me” on one of the final episodes of the Late Show with David Letterman in April 2015. The performance became a viral hit and was the focus of various news articles including some by Billboard and The Huffington Post.
Chapman is politically and socially active. In a 2009 interview with National Public Radio, she said, “I’m approached by lots of organizations and lots of people who want me to support their various charitable efforts in some way. And I look at those requests and I basically try to do what I can. And I have certain interests of my own, generally an interest in human rights.” In 1988 she performed in London as part of a worldwide concert tour to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with Amnesty International. That same year she performed at a tribute concert in honor of South African activist and leader Nelson Mandela’s 70th birthday, an event which raised money for South Africa’s Anti-Apartheid Movement and several children’s charities. She also performed at the event to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Amnesty International held in Paris on December 10, 1998, known as “The Struggle Continues…”. She was one of the guest artists at Pavarotti & Friends for Cambodia and Tibet on June 6, 2000, at which she performed a critically acclaimed duet with Luciano Pavarotti of “Baby Can I Hold You Tonight”. In 2004 she performed and rode in the AIDS/LifeCycle event.
She has been involved with Cleveland’s elementary schools, producing an educational music video highlighting achievements in African-American history. She sponsored “Crossroads in Black History”, an essay contest for high school students in Cleveland and other cities.
She received an honorary doctorate from Saint Xavier University in Chicago in 1997. In 2004 she was given an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts by her alma mater, Tufts University, recognizing her commitment to social activism.
On April 16, 2023, The South African Presidency announced that she along with others would be bestowed with a National Order – The Order of the Companions of O. R. Tambo which “recognizes eminent foreign nationals for friendship shown to South Africa. It is therefore an Order of peace, cooperation and active expression of solidarity and support.” The Order was bestowed in Silver on her “for her contribution to the fight for freedom by participating in efforts to free Nelson Mandela and raising awareness of human rights violations globally.” An investiture ceremony for the bestowment was held on April 28, 2023.
Some of the press have indicated Tracy Chapman walked away from the spotlight in 2009, making the Grammy Awards appearance something of a coup. But anyone who has been following Tracy Chapman’s career can agree she’s put her influence where her mouth is by going from a touring performer to a committed activist for the bigger picture – taking what you do and putting it in the service of humanity takes it a few steps beyond just being an iconic singer-songwriter to becoming Citizen of The World.
But I will admit, seeing her performing live before an audience of millions brought a skipped heart, giddy smile and occasional odd tear of sheer happiness that we’re okay after all.
And here’s a performance from Berlin in 2002 to kick off your week.
